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CHRISTIE LAKE ASSOCIATION INC.

https://christielakeassociation.com

Summer 2020 Newsletter Dedicated to the memory of:

Mark Lewis April 21, 2020

Winnifred Farmer May 4, 2020

Bill Cavanagh May 21, 2020

Christie Lake icons missed.

And, to all of our friends and neighbours (on both sides of the border) who are unable to be here at this time, we

hope to see you soon. If you need a property check, please Contact Us and we will arrange to do that.

President’s Message: Krystyna Williamson

Hello and welcome to your Summer Edition of the Christie Lake Newsletter. I hope this finds you and your

family well and keeping busy through these trying times. It has been a Spring of widely varying temperatures

and very little rain here but we have had some hints of summer - the trees are green, the flowers are blooming

and the loons are calling at night. The water levels are unseasonably low and the Gypsy Moth caterpillars (see

article on Page 3) have hatched as well, but we are hopeful that they are on the decline this summer. I’m

staying optimistic for a lovely summer!

Your Board has taken the very disappointing decision to cancel all social plans for the summer season. It seems

better to keep our friends and neighbours safe and healthy than to risk accidentally spreading the virus for an

hour or two of fun. We thank all those who have expressed their support of this decision and can assure you

that once the restrictions lift, we are ready to bring things back to life!

One important meeting cannot be cancelled - your Annual General Meeting. We have a talented crew on the

Board who are preparing to host a virtual AGM, so watch your email for online materials. The Meeting Notice

can be found on Page 9. It will be the shortest AGM in Christie Lake history, but your questions and votes will

be welcomed in advance.

Boating season is open with the markers installed and we are hopeful that most businesses will be operating in

town soon. However, restrictions still apply and with the population of Perth and Westport swelling over the

summer season, line ups can be long and difficult, especially for our elderly on hot days. Please keep this in

mind this year when planning your trips and supplies.

A huge thank you to all who have renewed their memberships already. I hope we can continue to be an active

community, even as we find new ways of connecting and keeping up with the local news.

https://christielakeassociation.com/https://christielakeassociation.com/contact-us/

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On a personal level, my thoughts are with my dear

lake friends who have lost loved ones recently.

While we know that with time, the current issues

will be resolved, some things in life have changed

forever. Our best solace is always with those we

care for, watching beautiful sunsets at the best lake

in the world.

Wishing Peace and Health to you all!

Lake Stewardship Committee Loon Initiatives: Austin Sweezey

Social distancing is having an effect on our loon programs. Deployment of our loon nesting platforms, some of

which we constructed last year, was delayed. We have anchored 3 platforms in different locations in the

western part of the lake. We are working with Birds Canada to decide on a suitable number of platforms to put

out. One of the concerns is whether placing a platform in an unsuitable location may entice loons to give up a

better shore location to use the platform.

Thanks again to the volunteers who came out last October construct 5 platforms. We now have an inventory of

about 10 or 11 platforms which should be sufficient for our lake. We would like to gratefully acknowledge

assistance from the Daniel and Susan Gottlieb Foundation who awarded our lake association a $500 grant that

covered the cost of materials.

Bird Studies initially cancelled the 2020 annual loon survey again due to physical distancing concerns. Dr.

Doug Tozer, Bird Studies Director of Waterbirds and Wetlands, has noted that "one year of missing data in a

long-term dataset does not have much of an impact on our ability to calculate trends over many years."

However, good news, they reinstated the survey on June 17 subject to some restrictions. For more information

about loons and the loon survey visit: birdscanada.org

Some of our members who live at the lake are continuing our own informal survey this season using the same

protocols as previous years and following COVID-19 restrictions. The loons are back as usual around the lake.

They always seem to show up as soon as the ice is out!

Hopefully they will enjoy a successful nesting season.

Fortunately, this spring we have not experienced any

sudden lake level rises which tends to flood loon nests.

If you do become aware of a loon nest or loon chicks

please keep your distance but let me know about it so

we can add to our survey info. I can be contacted at:

austin.sweezey@gmail.com

The loons are back as usual around the lake!

https://www.birdscanada.org/mailto:austin.sweezey@gmail.com

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Gypsy Moth Invasion: Newleaf Forest Services (courtesy Brooke Briggs)

You are all probably right in the middle of the latest outbreak of gypsy moth. This population has been building

for a couple of years, and is hot on the heels of the Forest Tent Caterpillar which we just got rid of. Conditions

have been ideal for the caterpillars to hatch, survive and eat leaves. There is one estimate that each caterpillar

can eat 1 square metre of foliage before it pupates and lays eggs for next year.

Here are some useful links to help you understand what is going on, and what might happen to your trees.

The GM are really focusing on oaks, basswood, some elms, apple trees, and even some conifers like white pine,

hemlock and balsam fir. They are currently leaving maple and ash alone - but will switch to eating those if they

haven't completed their life cycle.

Not much can be done at a forest level short of aerial spraying. We have to wait for the natural viruses and

bacteria to catch up to them and cause a population collapse. At an individual tree level, you can spray with

BTK which you can purchase at Canadian Tire. And of course, you can squish bugs, and scrape off all egg

masses that you discover post-August of this year, and burn those eggs.

The real issue comes when the trees try to refoliate in July, right when we are bone dry. This causes stress on

the trees, and some may lose crown branches, or die completely after a few years.

More information:

https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-insects/gypsy-moth/

https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/invasive_species/Gypsy-Moth/virus-and-fungus-disease-cause

Membership & Directory Committee: Penny Nault and Donna Walsh

The Christie Lake Association Inc. (CLA) Membership Drive is underway for 2020. Given the unusual times,

we will not have canvassers going door to door during this campaign.

Thank you to those of you who have already renewed your membership. For those that haven’t yet, you can do

so by visiting the Membership page on the CLA website at https://christielakeassociation.com/about-

cla/membership/where you can enroll on-line and pay the $35 membership fee by credit card or PayPal. Or,

you can download and complete the Membership Form and mail it in together with a cheque for $35.00. For

your convenience, a copy of the 2020 membership form is also included at the end of this Newsletter.

The cost of Membership remains at $35.00 a year per family. These dollars support many lake activities

including possible social events, communication tools, website maintenance, newsletters, maintenance of shoal

marker buoys on main body of lake, maintenance of road signage, and assistance with the construction of

spawning beds, just to name a few.

Those who do enroll will be eligible to have their name put in a draw for a $50.00 gift certificate for

Fiddleheads Restaurant in Perth.

https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-insects/gypsy-moth/https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/invasive_species/Gypsy-Moth/virus-and-fungus-disease-causehttps://christielakeassociation.com/about-cla/membership/https://christielakeassociation.com/about-cla/membership/

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Directories ready for delivery to CLA Members!

Donna is now delivering Directories around the lake to CLA Members

on request. Please email her at dw.boomer@hotmail.com to set up a

suitable delivery time.

Communications & Website Committee: Penny Nault

We continue to keep you informed on important issues via CLA Spotlight emails and the CLA website. In

addition to maintaining the website, we maintain two email accounts and maintain over 300 email addresses for

the CLA Spotlight News email distribution list. We rely on membership dollars to maintain these valuable

communication tools so please consider that at membership renewal time. Many residents reap the benefit of

receiving these communications but have not renewed their past membership. This is not fair to those who do

pay membership fees.

Message and Notes from Rideau Valley Conservation Authority:

Dear friends,

We hope this newsletter finds you well during these unprecedented times. While it has been a challenging

period for many, it has also been inspiring to see so many people, families, communities and levels of

government work together to find new ways to support and connect with one another to help stop the spread of

COVID-19. Our sincerest thanks to all those on the front lines.

At the RVCA, we have been able to continue our conservation work by implementing changes to protect staff,

clients and the public. While buildings and amenities remain closed, conservation areas are open for walking.

Most program delivery continues with modifications to field work and site visits, and consultation with clients

and Board meetings are now being done electronically.

We look forward to a return to normal operations, but in the meantime, we wish to thank all our municipalities

and watershed residents for working with us to adapt to new delivery methods. Please follow us on Facebook or

Twitter to get the most up-to-date information about changes to RVCA programs and services or visit

https://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-covid-19-response.

We are here, working remotely, so please don’t hesitate to contact us (https://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-staff-

listing).

Water Testing Up-date:

We will be resuming field activities on June 3rd. Covid19 has resulted in some changes to our field protocols

and forced us to deviate from our typical sampling schedule. The most prominent changes is that we will not

be able to rely on volunteer transportation while social distancing measures are in place. This means that we

will largely rely on public access points. Staff will be travelling in separate vehicles to each site and maintain a

2m distance during sample collection. We will also only have one crew out per day as we have had to reduce

our number of summer students for 2020. As we will be operating at reduced capacity, we will be prioritizing

the sampling of our lakes based on nutrient status, waterbodies with identified issues, as well as those lakes

identified as lake trout lakes.

mailto:dw.boomer@hotmail.comhttps://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-covid-19-responsehttps://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-staff-listinghttps://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-staff-listing

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For those lakes that do not have public access we may be contacting you in the next week or so to inquire about

the possibility of accessing the water via a canoe through private property. These visits would be contactless,

and staff would bring all required equipment. RVCA staff would confirm their visit in advance, provide a cell

phone number for any questions/identification and ask residents to not approach staff while on the property. If

this is something you are uncomfortable with, please let me know-I understand we are navigating in

unprecedented times.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at your convenience.

Sarah MacLeod-Neilson Surface Water Quality Coordinator sarah.macleod-neilson@rvca.ca, ext. 1109 RVCA COVID-19 UPDATE: The health, safety and well-being of our clients and staff is our top priority. Our offices and facilities are closed to clients. Staff are working remotely and we do not anticipate any service disruptions. Visit https://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-covid-19-responsefor more.

North Shore Road Work:

Good News!

The North Shore Road “reconstruction” is DONE!

Paving crews at work…

mailto:sarah.macleod-neilson@rvca.cahttps://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-covid-19-responsehttps://www.rvca.ca/about-us/rvca-covid-19-response

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Job is nearly done… DONE!

Marker Buoys: Donna Walsh

MANY Thanks to Ray and Apryle Patterson for placing the shoal markers on the main

body of the lake! These shoal markers are a beneficial safety measure to boaters. Note that

CLA does not place shoal markers in bays.

The water levels are unseasonably low (154.26) so please take caution.

Stand Up Paddle Board Regulations: Donna Walsh

With stand up paddleboards becoming more popular it is important to know the

regulations that are in place for their use. The following is from Paddle Canada: “These

regulations will enter into full force in 2018, published by Transport Canada.”

If you are paddling across a body of water, or getting from Point A to Point B, you are

navigating.

Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) used for navigation fall into the same category as canoes,

kayaks, rowboats, rowing shells, and other human powered boats less than 6m and you

are required to carry mandatory safety equipment under the Small Vessel Regulations.

• Option 1: WEAR a lifejacket with a whistle (no buoyant heaving line required).

• Option 2: CARRY a lifejacket on board with whistle and a buoyant heaving line.

• Option 3: NONE then could receive a $200 – $500 fine for non-compliance.

*watertight flashlight is required for lowlight or nighttime conditions.

If you are NOT navigating (park and play at the waterfront, dock, or surf wave, surf beach), then TC does not

consider the SUP use as regulated vessel for mandatory equipment requirements.

Paddle Canada also recommends the use of an appropriate ankle or waistbelt leash although not required

equipment.

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Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) Update: Penny Nault

I recently requested an Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) update on the status of Cell/Internet Gap

projects. Below is what was provided to me.

The Cell Tower gap project is moving ahead with the issue of RFPs to the major suppliers. This is to provide

more cell phone service and LTE internet from new towers.

EORN is now looking at an additional project to achieve the CRTC objective of 10/50 MPs service. 10 upload

50 down.

The status of the cell gap project and the projected date for the 10/50 MPs service RFP is noted in

screenshots below.

Bell has recently announced a new wireless to the home 10/50 MPs service from existing cell towers and it is

slowing being introduced across the area but not yet in TVT. Still trying to get Bell to announce when.

https://www.eorn.ca/en/index.aspx

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On the Social Front - Canada Day Flotilla

Although many social events have been “re-scheduled” until 2021, there is one

event that can safely take place with safety protocols in place - July 1st Canada

Day Flotilla

Decorate your boat in RED and White and join the flotilla! Meet at 1pm at Big

Island!

The most decorated boat gets to lead the parade around the lake!

Here’s to a Wonderful Memory Making Summer at the Lake!

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE

Notification that the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of members of the

CHRISTIE LAKE ASSOCIATION INC. (“CLA”)

will be a virtual “ZOOM” meeting taking place on

Saturday, July 25th

10:00am – 11:00am

Meeting materials will be provided in the form of three packages:

Week of June 22nd: Sent to all:

• Link to on-line CLA 2020 Membership Form & Directory Update;

• Draft Agenda and request for additions;

• Committee Reports;

• Draft Minutes of the AGM held on July 13, 2019;

• Treasurer’s Overview of Financial Information for the years ending December 31, 2019 and 2018;

• Draft Statement of Revenue and Expenses and Assets for the years ending December 31, 2019 and 2018;

• Draft slate of Directors standing for election or re-election (currently stands at 9 individuals); and

• Request for those wishing to stand for election as a Director. Two nominations are required for each individual and a short Statement of Interest. Due date is

Tuesday, June 30th.

Week of July 6th: Sent to all:

• Link to on-line CLA 2020 Membership Form & Directory Update;

• Statement of Interest for individuals standing for election or re-election;

• Link to on-line Voter’s Form which includes: o Final Slate of Directors; and o Section for members to pose questions to the Board of Directors.

Note: Only those enrolled as a CLA member (either in 2019 or 2020) are eligible

to vote on motions and submit questions to the Board of Directors. Two members

of a CLA family membership may complete a Voter’s Form. Questions and

Answers will be circulated following the meeting.

Week of July 20th: Sent to CLA Members who completed a Voter’s Form:

• Agenda (with additions); and

• Link to ZOOM meeting.

Copies of previously approved CLA financial statements can be found under ‘CLA Financial Statements’ on the

CLA website at https://christielakeassociation.com/about-cla/your-cla-organization/. For those who do not have

internet access, CLA will provide a hard copy of the financial statement(s) upon receipt of a request in writing.

https://christielakeassociation.com/about-cla/your-cla-organization/

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Christie Lake Association Inc. (CLA) 2020 MEMBERSHIP FORM & DIRECTORY UPDATE

Annual Membership Fee: $35 per Family

1. Family Name: _________________________________________________________________

2. Name of family members aged 18 years or older to be enrolled as CLA members for the year indicated above: (use reverse side of form if you run out of space)

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

3. Lake Address: Blue/White PIN # ____________ Lane/Road ____________________________________________

Lake Phone #: ( ) ____________________________

4. Home Address: _____________________________________________________________ Apt. # ___________

City: _____________________________________________ Province/State _____________________________

Postal/Zip Code: ________________________ Home Phone #: ( ) ____________________________

5. Email Address(es): _____________________________________________ (use reverse side of form if you run out of space)

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

6. Christie Lake Directory:

I consent to the publication of the information contained in items 1 to 3 above in the Christie Lake Directory.

I consent to the publication of partial information contained in items 1 to 3 above in the Christie Lake Directory. Do not publish: __________________________________________________________________________

I do not consent to the publication of any information contained in items 1 to 3 above in the Christie Lake Directory.

7. CLA Communications: (Spotlight Newsletters and Notices)

Yes, email CLA communications to me in the ‘bcc’ format. (Note: new email addresses will receive a one-time request by email to ‘opt-in’ to receive CLA email communications as required by the new Canadian Anti-spam Legislation).

No, do not email CLA Communications to me. Mail printed copies of Newsletters and important Notices to me at my home address.

8. Emergency Contact: (in the event you are unavailable to respond to property damage, fire, theft etc.).

Name: _____________________________________________________ Phone #: (_____) ______________________

Emergency contact information may enable CLA to notify members about matters requiring prompt attention. CLA accepts no obligation or legal responsibility to monitor members’ properties, nor to notify them or their emergency contacts about such matters, but may choose to do so as a matter of courtesy.

9. Amount Enclosed: $ ____________ (cheque made payable to ‘Christie Lake Association Inc.’)

Date: _____________________ Signature: ________________________________________________________

Send completed form and cheque to: Christie Lake Association Inc. (or hand in payment at any CLA Event) P.O. Box 20058

Perth, Ontario K7H 3M6

Thank you for your support! For information on what Membership includes, please visit the Membership page under ‘About CLA’ on our Website. If you have any questions or concerns, or require more information, please ‘Contact Us’ on our Website.

https://christielakeassociation.com/contact-us/